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Just 38% pay for Radiohead album – study

The majority of people who downloaded Radiohead’s latest album In Rainbows decided not to pay for the download, according to figures from comScore.

The band had been praised by many for its decision to bypass the record companies and allow fans to pay as much or as little as the liked to download the the album via its site.

Initial reports suggested that a higher proportion of users had chosen to pay for the album – a survey of 5000 downloaders by Record of the Day found that just 28% decided not to shell out a penny, while the average price paid was £3.88.

If comScore’s figures are to be believed, there are more freeloaders than that, with 62% deciding not to pay anything. That figure was also marginally higher (64%) for non-US web users.

The average amount paid for the download (excluding free downloads) was $6 (£2.87) worldwide, with US users more generous, paying an average of $8.05 (£3.86).